Pas de Deux
by ElleRouge
Summary: When Nanoha is critically injured on a mission with Vita, Fate finds herself breaking down. Signum refuses to let her give up on Nanoha--or herself. Set between A's and StrikerS.


Once again, their swords clash with a resounding twang, both women being forced back from one another with the force. Signum feints, twirling to catch Fate off guard before sidestepping her sweeping return, putting out a hand to push the smaller girl to the ground, the sound of Bardiche hitting the ground echoing throughout the workout room. The woman watches with scorn as the blonde breathes heavy, eyes clenched as she stays on the ground, seemingly finished with the round.

"This is absurd, Testarossa," Signum says quietly, "No wonder you've failed both of your exams, you're a pathetic excuse for an officer right now."

Red eyes snap open, glaring balefully up at Signum at the insult, but the fire of defiance and competition that usually burns deep in those eyes, especially as they sparred, is absent; they are glassy and dull, full of pain. When Signum had called her out earlier in the day to spar with her, the girl had refused without so much as a look in her direction, sitting as she had sat for days: rigidly in a chair at Nanoha's side, waiting for the girl to wake up. Annoyance had flashed in those eyes when Signum had forcibly grabbed the girl by the collar and hauled her towards the gym, but she had given in with little real argument, half heartedly attempting to parry and return the advances the other woman had thrown at her, but it had ended up like this each time; with Bardiche knocked out of the girl's hands and Signum towering over her.

"You'll never be able to catch the people who hurt her, never be able to protect her in this state," Signum turns away as she says this, disgust apparent on her face.

Fate sits on the floor, sweat running in rivulets down the side of her face and along her back as she huffs, catching her breath. Loosely, she picks up Bardiche but she is weary of fighting, feeling a bone deep tiredness that aches to be through with the device in her hand, yearns to throw it aside. She grasps it tightly, the metal warm to the touch, the power coursing throughout it steady and familiar; more familiar than Nanoha, Arf... It had been the first thing her mother ever gave her, the first voice that had ever answered her call, but here and now she felt like snapping him in two, for he is silent, incapable of helping her like he always had in the past, as if he refused to talk to her while she was misusing him. Signum was right; there was no way she could protect Nanoha like this. Sighing, she lets her device clatter back to the floor, drawing her knees up disconsolately as she felt tears prick at her eyes.

Sheathing her sword, Signum watches this with a blank face; she is used to Hayate showing emotions such as these, but she has no idea what to do with her sparring partner. She feels a tightness in her chest and a pressure against her lungs at seeing the girl curled around herself, holding onto her knees and looking more like a child than Signum has ever seen her. She wants to knock the girl over and at the same time she wants to pick her up and never let go; Signum knows without a doubt, that other than her mistress, this girl holds her highest regard but she never thought that she would see her like this, broken and needy. Awkwardly, she kneels beside the blonde, rubbing her hands in uncertainty; she is unused to offering physical comfort but she can't find it inside herself to continue berating the girl into action, leaving her with little recourse. Snaking an arm around the girls shoulder, she stiffly pulls the younger girl to her chest, holding tight against the weak struggles until they both are settled on the floor, the blonde a heap in Signum's arms.

"She's going to need you to be strong when she wakes up, Testarossa, don't fail her now. And I can't stand to see you like this, so please don't fail me, either," Signum whispers against the blond hair, closing her eyes as she tightens her hold, glad to feel no resistance. Neither moves for an endless second as Fate gets her breathing under control, both content to hold onto eachother in this moment of weakness, unguarded and vulnerable.

Signum enjoys the warmth and the tickling sensation of Fate inhaling and exhaling onto her collarbone, but pulls back as soon as she feels the other girl calm herself. She wants to comfort Fate, but not take away her dignity. Pulling out of the embrace with a blush on her face, she picks up the girls weapon and stands quickly, offering a hand out for the blonde to take.

"Now fight me for real, okay? I can't wait around all day for you to get it together. If you're going to pass the exam this time around, you need to at least attempt to beat me, if you can," Signum says lightly, tugging the girl up and handing Bardiche over, before stepping back into her battle stance.

Fate stares at the staff in her hands, before looking intently at the pink haired woman. Blinking, she nods, incapable of saying anything; instead she raises Bardiche defiantly, a circle of magical energy growing out underneath her as she powers up properly, ready to go on the offensive. Signum smiles at this as she pulls her own device out of it's sheath, eager to test Fate's resolve. Stepping forward, she swings down, is blocked, a grunt, she blocks an attack, twirling as she did earlier, a second too slow, this time finding Fate behind her, too quick to follow.

"Thank you," Fate whispers into her ear, causing a shiver to race down her back, before flashing away and attacking from the side. Signum vows that no matter what happens to Nanoha, she will always be here to pull Fate back up, to push her forward when the brunette couldn't, even if it meant beating her senseless. Twisting, she once again knocked Bardiche from Fate's hands, but this time the blonde quickly picks it up again, attacking back with vigor, a spark in her eyes that had been missing for weeks.


End file.
